Alright, another great day of combat at Warplay. Had a really good size turn out, and again play was out of this world. Fast and furious. Always have a great time here. Tor and Gunny and all of their staff make you feel like part of a family. They take the time to talk to everyone and ask how the day is going.

If you are one of those wimpy folks who has to have a twenty foot rule, then this is not for you. We like our combat up close and personal.

The only time i play anywhere other than here is for scenario games. This is my choice for combat.

Since I'm from Minnesota, the closest one I've been to is Skirmish in Jim Thorpe, PA.

Directionsto the Field:

It's extremely easy to get to. Hwy 95 into Fredricksburg and take the Hwy 3 exit. From there, drive to Locust Grove and take a left at Hwy 20. They will be on the right-hand side after you drive into the Wilderness Battlefield area. You can't miss it.

Review:

I held a contest back in 2006 on my Website for my two paintball books. The winner was from Locust Grove, so I traveled out to play alongside him and his friends. It was up to him to select a scenario paintball field in the area, and he chose War Play Paintball. Well, after driving over 22 hours from the Twin Cities in Minnesota, I'm glad he DID choose War Play. This is not only an excellent field run by terrific people, but it's designed with attention to detail by two former Marines. Tor and Gunny both know how to design a great field.

Pros:
Excellent field. Right now they have two fields for use: the Khe Sanh field and the Market-Garden field. With what they have to work with, these two guys have built incredible simulations to the conditions that come right out of history. The cinder block ruins, the tank bridge, the guardhouse, the Vietnam firebase... all done with attention to detail.

Reffing Staff. They have GREAT referees on hand to make sure everyone is playing safe, playing fair, and having fun.

Location: You're playing paintball amidst Civil War history. This field is nestled in the heart of the Wilderness Battlefield. Eventually Tor and Gunny will widen their fields to include actual land used during the American Civil War and players will run on trails used by Civil War soldiers. Not many other places can offer that. The field is right off the highway - not down some bumpy gravel road that might damage your vehicle. You turn off Highway 20 and right into their parking lot. I wish a lot of other fields would be that way. I only know of two other fields nationwide that are like that. I'm glad War Play is one of them.

Added features: Tor's father is set up in the safe zone to launch paint mortar rounds into the game. If fending off over 40 opposing players isn't enough, you have to watch out for "death from above" when he starts firing off mortar rounds. A great addition to your games!

Con:
If I were to give the place any sort of "con" review, it would be the no-20-foot-rule. However, stated by some others here at pbreview, they clearly state that if you don't want to be shot at close range, then don't be that guy that is in that situation. Play to your ability and use common sense. They do this to help simulate how real combat can take place. This is a scenario field to the fullest. Use your head and know your limits, and you'll have a blast here.

To sum up, traveling to War Play has become my all-time favorite road trip for paintball. Me and my teammates are already planning a return trip with more of our team. If they will create tank paths, we'll bring our tank too! This field is a scenario player's ultimate fantasy for the east coast. I'm already jealous of those that live closer to it than I am. Gear up and get yourselves to War Play on the double!!!

PROS
OK....This is the best built field in the area. The level of quality and thought put into the development of the fields is great. The games are action packed, the staff is EXTREMELY nice and helpful and the field is easily accessible from the main road unlike most fields in the area. In addition all the fields are in close proximity to the building which means easy access to air and other supplies. There is a great mechanic there; he was able to fix one of our teammate's Cocker after Check-it and PEVS could not rectify the problem...and he did it for far less than Check-it or PEVS. The field only has compressed air so dont bring your CO2. If you plan to play all day you may want to bring 2 cases or buy 2 cases...really! At least their paint prices are reasonable...around $45. Unlike other fields in the area; your gun has to be under 300fps; which means that you can chrono at 299fps if you want. There is no 20ft, 10ft, or 5ft rule which is cool. There also appeared to be know rule on gun settings considering that their rental guns are all Tippman A-5s with response triggers (which is cool if you intend to rent).

CONS
The cost to play at WARPLAY is almost double that of any of the other fields in the area (PEVS is the second most expensive). Furthermore they charge you to use your own paint (the paint that they sell is not the best) which is strange to us. The fields are all woodsball and all games are respawn so there was rarely a win, if any from either team. We enjoy woodsball as much as we enjoy speedball but we are not big fans of respawn...we like for the games to actually have an ending...which brings me to a point we mentioned earlier; most will easily rip through 3000-4000 balls. The biggest CON of them all is BLIND FIRING; it is permitted at this field.

Conclusion
This is a great scenario field....maybe one of the best. (In a sidebar with the owner he mentioned that there are more fields on the way and they sound great). However, the price to play and the all-the-time-respawn was a turnoff for us. Also there are no speedball fields at all; there is however one game (King of the Hill) that mimics speedball. Again, the staff is nice and knowledgeable and create a welcoming atmoshere. There is a lot of action but you use A LOT of paint...and spend a lot of money. We will have to give it an 8 because of the costs involved and the fact that the games usually ended in a draw. We recommend that you visit at least once for the experience.

Pevs at AG and OA paintball both i would say are lower quality fields then Warplay paintball.

Directionsto the Field:

off of constitution highway hard to miss with the field netting and sign.

Review:

this field has to be the best field i have ever had the pleasure to play on the refs were very professional they were willing to extract players caught in a bunker by placing there bodies in between them and the incoming paint balls. the field has a safety briefing and field netting in dead zones and between the setup point and the actual fields. the quality of the fields in my opinion is unsurpassed with all structures being very study concrete bunkers and actual bridges they also have a very nice replica of a khe shan outpost. the fields are well laid out with extreme detail given to strategic choke points and ways around them. they are open from 9am to 4pm so you can get a good full day of paint ball. the prices are a little bit below average with a case of 2,000 rounds being $45 and field fee $15 and $10 for all day air. this field does not carry CO2 though. there is no five foot rule here you can get as close to the enemy as you need to be. there is also blind firing here which few fields allow.there is also re spawns on a preset time so you can keep going into the fight. other then that the rules are the same to must major fields. they offer lunch for five dollars which they pick up at a local restrautant and bring to you during your 20 min lunch break there is a usual 6 min break between games and games usually last about 25 minutes. this field is the place for experienced players and novices alike.

off constitution highway in locust grove VA, its the only paintball field, can't miss the field netting.

Review:

This field is utterly superior to anything i have ever played on. They have all of their bunkers and buildings built to Virginia Housing code. With extreme attention to detail and construction these are the best fields i have ever been to. Some game types they play are Operation Market Garden, Alamo, Halo Style king of the Hill, Khe Sang and Air Force One.

The reffing staff is also the best i have ever seen. They actualy reff and care about the customer, making sure you can get to the dead zone safely. Most of the time if the turnout is a little low or something of the such one or 2 of the reffs will play too.

Another superb aspect about this field is the rentals, they are Tippman A-5s with response triggers. Best ones i've seen so far. The masks are v-force and the tanks are nitro, couldn't ask for better rental equipment.

To top it all off they are expanding adding a d-day field, thats right a single field dedicated to a d-day game type, concrete Atlantic wall and working landing craft to boot, and are adding several just plain cool things to their fields, one of them that just got put in last week, a morter launcher that they do fire during games.

This field was the most fun I've had with paintball since..
..probably ever.

Gameplay/Rules/Refs
Games are generally longer, running about 20-25 minutes, and there are in-game respawns, meaning at most you're out 5 minutes, then back in the action. This means you can afford to play any way you want (including suicidally reckless) and still manage to play all day. The refs are all extremely helpful on the field and will even take paint to get a hit player off the field.

The hours (Saturdays, 9-4:30 in the winter) are great hours, and with the first game starting around 10, and the last starting at 3:30, I was completely content in the amount of play I got in.

Proshop/Staff
All day air is $10, less than most fields, and with respawns, you'll make good use of it.
They have a $10 byop fee, but the prices for field paint are extremely reasonable, and it's not trash paint. Tor and all the other members of the staff are great people, and know how to run the field right to make it safe and fun.

Staging area/Players
This area, though small, is adequate enough to accomodate the players for the day and in its own small way promotes interaction with other players (All of which seem to be there to have fun, as opposed to other fields where people are there just to just for the win).

Of the VA fields I've played, this was by far the best experience I have had. I think I've found a new home field to play.

This field is a good 20 minutes farther away from me than the other two, and considering it was my first time visiting here, I was nervous about it. I shouldn't have been. This is my new home field, and will go here before any other. Here's some of the reasons why.

The Reffing Staff:
These refs are not kids (unlike at another field, which shall remain nameless) They will paintcheck quickly, and will take a hit or two to get you out of a hot zone quickly. They all carry microfiber rags for cleaning off old hits, and it is the jobs of two specific refs to stand at each dead zone and make sure you're clean before you next insertion. Yes that's right, next insertion. (More on that later) They also check to make sure you're barrel bags are on before you enter the dead zone, and safety seems to be their top concern, along with everyone having a good time.

The Fields:
Most diverse I have ever seen. From an actual concrete bridge that you have to cross, to a two story tree house that must be breached, every game is fun and unique. The way the field is layed out, communication is required for either side to succeed, which the blue team learned late on in the day.

The Style of Play:
Play is Fast and Furious; Tor and Gunny, both former Marines, have set up a great experience for both the Die Hard woodsballer, and the whaling tourney player. Because respawns (usually) happen about every four minutes for either team, play gets more intense, with players making more drastic moves than they would knowing that they would have to sit out. Team work is more essential than at most fields. Each side MUST communicate, shoot and move to win. Don't believe me? Ask someone from the blue team. After we learned to communicate across the field, we kicked some serious arse.

The Atmosphere:
Everyone at the field was very nice and helpful. All day air was included in admission, and you get actual food for your money. No $2 hotdogs here! Lunch consisted of A turkey or ham sandwitch, soda and chips. The entire staff seemed to be set on us having a good time, and even gave us a sneak prieview of their new "mortar", "30 cal" tippmann 98 custom, and are preparing to set up what looks to be a promising scenario game.

If you are in tha area, this is the place to go. I put Hogback in a close second.

~Overall, a 9.5, Because I hear Tor is putting in a 600 foot long concrete wall, and landing craft, so I gotta leave some room for that.

Hogback (7 fields or so and a cool castle field, but you will play the same type of game every time you ever play there. So, it can get old)

Pev's (Many fields, but again, you will play capture the flag 90% of the time - with a couple of attack and defend games thrown in. Plus the air refills are 300+ yards away.)

Warplay offers a totally different playing experience. Read review for details.

Directionsto the Field:

I-95 exit 126 (route 3) West for about 11 miles then turn left on HWY 20. Go 6.9 miles and you will see it on the right. It is right on the road and you can't miss it.

Review:

THIS IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT

I've been playing for a while and thought I knew what every paintball field had to offer... some sort of Capture the Flag game and some sort of Attack and Defend game. This field offered me something different, and I am changed because of it.

I don't know how I will feel going back to Hogback or Pev's now. I think it may feel pretty lame in comparison. Let me tell you why.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
My friend ran out of air during a 25 minute game and the ref gave him a spare air tank right there on the field. What else do I need to say? They also explain things well, and warn players where to go and where not to. They keep the games going well, so you waste zero time.

ADRENALINE FILLED GAMES LIKE NO OTHER
One game in particular stands out. They call it King of the Hill, I would call it "4 minutes of full-on insanity". That's right, the game can be only 4 minutes and expect to shoot 4-6 (or more) pods in that short amount of time.

FIELDS VERY CLOSE TO STAGING AND AIR
All of the fields are close to the staging area, and the compressed air refills are right there. So you spend zero time walking long distances, zero time waiting for people to walk and get air refills, and zero time sitting on the sidelines... why??? because...

ALL GAMES INCLUDE RESPAWNS
At most places, games are 15 minutes and if you get hit in the first minute, then you go sit out for the next 14 and then the reloads. Most games at Warplay are 25 minutes with respawns every 4 minutes. This encourages bold moves, and keeps players actually playing. Which is what you are there to do! We played 8 games in a little over 6 hours (including lunch) and I was exhausted!

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THESE THINGS:

THERE IS NO 20-FOOT RULE
The refs tell you where not to go if you don't want to get hit up close, but there's no rule preventing it. It may not be a great field for a 10 year old new player.

YOU WILL SHOOT MORE PAINT THAN YOU EVER HAVE BEFORE
Remember, there are respawns all day long, so you are never sitting on the sidelines! Unlimited 4500 air, so that's never a problem. Prepare yourself for a 2-case day. I can tell you, I've never been more satisfied after a day of paintball, and I never cared less about the cost of paint. ($45/case is $20-25 cheaper than the fields I usually play). So for me it was totally worth it.

***
I highly recommend playing this field if you want an all-day adrenaline rush.
***
Dave

***UPDATE***

I've moved away from Virginia and have to say the only thing I miss about the State is Warplay.

I've been playing in San Antonio and Austin, TX and am very depressed about my paintball experiences. Yes, actually depressed... not just a figure of speech. I knew Warplay was something special, but little did I know just how much I would miss it.

When I lived there, I would start thinking of playing at Warplay on Monday (I played every other weekend), and couldn't stop thinking about it all week long. It delivered a real adrenaline rush, as well as a great time with friends. Unfortunately, I get none of that here in Texas. Sad, sad, me.......

Take my advice. Go play here if you get the chance. The only bad part about going to Warplay is that from then on, other fields will suck in comparison.

So i have been playing at this field for just about a year now, and this is a re-write of my first review on it.
SO
This place was amazing when it first opened up.
Nothing has changed for the worse yet
Tor and Gunny are the owners/head refs of the field
and also enjoy playing with us on occasion
The other refs, while relativley young for the most part,
know what they're doin.
The all day air, HPA only, is amazing, as HPA is superior to CO2 and now noone can complain that someone has that advantage
The paint is no more expensive than anywhere else, and they always have an expensive, higher quality paint and a cheaper, lower quality paint, so that you dont have to pay 45 a case for crap.
The fields are the perfect size, and allow for speedball-like firefights along with the tactics of woodsball.
The intensity level is higher than any field ive ever played, and even though a few of the rookies or yungins hang back, the spirit is contageous, so by the end of the day most people have done something insanely stupid and heroic.
The war stories i have from this place could take up multiple pages.
The respawns (2 for attackers, 4 for defenders, instant for king of the hill and president scenarios) allow for suicide runs and other tactical uses of casualties.
The breaks between each game give players a chance to refill air and paint and swap stories, but never take up more than 5 mins.
The games last 25 mins each, so only about 8 games are played all day (10-about 4, 430).
This isnt a letdown, however, because its about the same as 10-12 games at any other field.
There is always a break for lunch, and Tor and Gunny have brought in a new "chuckwagon" which provides decent food at a decent price, and, most importantly, sells monster, giveing those of us who love it a boost of energy between games.
All in all the most enjoyable paintball experience available, for rooks and vets alike.
However, a first time player ite wanna think about practicing before coming here, as odds are he/she will get shot many, many times at close range, as there are no 20ft or bps rules.
I would recommend it to anyone not afraid to take some rounds, and who wants to have the most intense paintball experience ever.

Check the website: www.warplaypaintball.com. It's very easy to notice, right on route 20.

Review:

Very unique paintball place. The fields themselves were very well developed and the staff were very positive and supportive. It's obvious that the staff enjoy what they do. The most unique aspect of this facility is the style of play they run. Each game is like a 25 minute scenario. With respawn abilities, you are only out for 4 minutes max. Very intersting scenarios to compliment the facilities.

They do have very limited hours at the moment because they are building on to the concept fields and also working on a PROPER speedball field. So get on their mailing list or give them a call to make sure they are open.

If I had to complain about something, I would say allowing blind fire is a little scary. But that's not too big a deal. The refs are clear that if you are worried about that, stay out of the structures. And if you are out... the reffs get you out quickly. Some of the scenarios yeild a CRAZY amount of paint in the air. Definetely exciting.

Check it out, very different. Hopefully it's the next up and commer in VA.